16x9 on MVP

[Mr. Camaro]

I know there are many posts on this. However I still can't seem to get this to work. I have a 37" wide screen TV with a MVP. I'm using the new 1.0.8 version. My GBPVR menu on the TV is not the full width of the screen. It has the 2 black bars on the sides. I downloaded the Hauppauge software and switched it to 16x9 aspect ratio however I don't really see any difference. I still have the black bars on both sides. I have the TV set on ASPECT. Using this setting as I switch channels, HD channels are shown wide screen and the other channels are shown 4:3 with black bars. Other choices are Panaromic that stretches the edges and leaves the middle, and full screen that stretches the whole screen to wide screen. My last option is zoom that zooms in on the picture. I have been leaving the TV on ASPECT.

I've also tried to stretch the screen by changing the Height and Width settings in the config.xml but this did not seem to do anything either. Making the width bigger or smaller did not seem to change anything.

The main thing I would like to do now is stretch the menus so that I use all the screen real estate. The videos I watch are mainly in 4:3 so it is fine if they play with the black bars on the sides.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

[sub]

The main thing I would like to do now is stretch the menus so that I use all the screen real estate.

Try tweaking these settings in config.xml:

<MAC-DEFAULT>
<MVPWidth>640</MVPWidth>
<MVPHeight>500</MVPHeight>
<MVPOffsetX>44</MVPOffsetX>
<MVPOffsetY>40</MVPOffsetY>
</MAC-DEFAULT>


A few rules MVPWidth + MVPOffsetX should be <= 720, and both values should be even. You should get the widest possibe menu screens with:


<MVPWidth>720</MVPWidth>
<MVPOffsetX>0</MVPOffsetX>

[Mr. Camaro]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I read another post by you on this subject and had tried those settings before. I just now tried again with these settings.

<MVPWidth>720</MVPWidth>
<MVPOffsetX>0</MVPOffsetX>

I still have 5" or so of black bars on each side of the screen.

Do I have to unplug the MVP after I make these changes? I have been just restarting the recording service. This then knocks off the MVP and it reconnects. Is this sufficient. (I have tried unplugging it before and I didn't see any difference either.)

[sub]

Restarting the recording service is enough.

Those settings would give you the widest menu pictures GB-PVR is capable of producing on the MVP. To me it sounds like something funny about your TV setting or those specific inputs on your TV that isnt filling the screen with the MVP output. On most TVs, those settings are well off the edge of the TV. The default values for those settings use less of the screen to account for this overscan.

[Mr. Camaro]

I was kind of thinking the same thing. It seems that it doesn't care what the MVP sends it is always assuming it is 4:3. The funny thing though is that I would think the screen would kind of look squished, but it doesn't.

Maybe I have something wrong with my MVP that is not letting it switch to 16x9 even though the Hauppauge menu is saying I'm in 16x9.

Another weird thing is that I can't seem to make the screen smaller either. I tried 200 for a height and it still looks the same.

Thanks for the help, I'm kind of double teaming you on two topics.

[Mr. Camaro]

Tipster,

Are you talking about loading the Hauppauge software then running it instead of GBPVR and then selecting the 16X9 under the settings section using the MVP and the remote. I have it set on this now if this is what you are saying.

Or are you talking about some other configuration software?

Thanks...

[Mr. Camaro]

Ok, I think I follow you. Not sure though about "run 2 Hauppauge MVP services"

I tried booting up using the Hauppauge software. I checked and it is still set on 16x9. However, even when I'm running this software and it is set on 16x9 the menus are not full screen but have bars on the left and right side.

[Mr. Camaro]

I can't get rid of the black side bars in the Hauppauge menus or the GBPVR menus. My choices on my tv are Aspect, Panoramic, Full Screen, 1:1, Zoom 1, Zoom 2.

Aspect should be the one I use. It then adjusts to to 4:3 or 16:9 automatically. I can make GBPVR fit the whole screen by stretching it with the Full Screen selection but it is not actually getting a signal in 16:9 format. I can also use zoom but it is also not really right. It is just zooming in to get rid of the bars.

[Mr. Camaro]

I'm in Branson, Missouri the third biggest tourist destination in the US.

I can't seem to ever get rid of the side bars in Hauppauge or GBPVR unless I change to full screen and stretch the screen out. I'm using the default blue menus. Of course if I'm watching tv and I land on a HDTV channel it will fill out the screen.

Never tried STV. Was just interested in how it compares. I like GBPVR and have no plans on switching, but was just wondering what the other software is like.

I've got to go to a birthday party with the kids. Wife is yelling at me now to get off the computer and go. I'll try to post some pictures when I get back.

[zehd]

Here...

Use Hauppauge software. Confirm MediaMVP in 16x9 apsect.
Set GB-PVR to use 16x9 in config
Set TV to 'Full Screen'.

GB-PVR's menus should display wide screen.